‘INEC to use Z-pad for Ondo polls’

INDEPENDENT National Electoral Commission (INEC) says sensitive materials for Ondo State governorship election will arrive Akure on October 5.

Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu disclosed this during an interaction with the media in Akure on Thursday.

He said non-sensitive materials for the election had been delivered.

“We have delivered all, but a few of the non-sensitive materials required for the election. What remains can be accomplished within the days remaining to the polling.

“It is exactly 16 days to the election. If we exclude the election day, which is October 10, we have 15 days. So, we have two weeks and a day to the election.

“The sensitive materials for the election are ready. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) will deliver them to their branch here in Akure on October 5,’’ Yakubu said.

He said the commission had moved enough card readers to Ondo State for the conduct of the election, adding that they were being configured and charged in Akure.

Yakubu said the Z-pad used in Edo for the transmission of Polling Units (PUs) results to the commission result view portal would be deployed in Ondo State.

“As we speak, we are moving the Z-pads from our state office in Benin City to Akure. The Z-pads will arrive in Akure this afternoon (Thursday).

“So, we will deploy the same technology to upload results, real time, from all the 3, 009 polling units, all the 203 Wards and the 18 local government areas of Ondo State,’’ Yakubu said.

He urged media organisations to sensitise the electorate to the need for peaceful election, voters’ turnout and adherence to the COVID-19 protocols.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has cautioned INEC on the use of Z-pad for the election.

A statement yesterday by its spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, described Z-pad as unreliable, saying it could compromise voter accreditation process.

PDP recalled that the Z-pad technology failed during a test-run deployment for voter accreditation in a recent by-election in Nasarawa State, a situation that informed its rejection by INEC for voter accreditation in the September 19 Edo State governorship election, where it was only used to assist in direct uploading of results to INEC’s virtual portal.